One of Us
by Bird Of Despair
Summary: 'Vampires' Wally called them, that's what they were up against. Robin just couldn't help his team though, he was bound to the side of the vampires, he was one of them.


Nighttime In Gotham City... Something No One Wanted To Be Out During, Unless The Absolutely Had To... The Almost Dead Streets Were Littered With Trash And Shards Of Broken Glass Among Pieces Of Broken Buildings Such As Bricks And Wood. There Were Piles Of Snow Plowed Off The Streets, Which Had Become Covered In Slush While Endless Snow Flurries Refused To Stop Falling.

The Wind Whirled And Twirled, Spreading Cold, White Powder All Over The Streets, Covering Gotham In A Thick Blankets Of Snow. The Only Light On The Dark City Came From The Dim Lights Of The Destroyed Buildings And The Glow Of The Moon Above.

Every Light Was Dim And Broken, Or Off And Destroyed Except For A Few, Such As The Wayne Corp's Bright, Hollywood-Style Lights. The Lights Were Casting A Bright Ten-Foot-All-Around Glow, That Never Faded Or Flickered, Until Two Shadows Appeared In Front Of The Large 'W' Making The Light Space Out In One Section.

Close Up, Two Teenage Boys Snuck Up On The Roof, Snow Up To Their Knees, Yet They Were In Shorts And T-Shirts, Not Giving A Single Flinch. The Two Dropped Down On The Ground Behind The 'Y' In 'Wayne' And Started Talking Quietly. Not Even Noticing The Shadow That Was Cast On The Ground, Which Resembled A Very Large Bat.

"So...-" One Of The Boys Said, He Was Ginger, With A Face Of Freckles And Blue Eyes, His Shirt And Shorts Were Pure Black, Which Made It Look Like His Thighs, Torso, And Stomach Were Non-Existent, "What Are We Doing Here"

The Caster Of The Shadow Shifted, Watching Intently As The Other Boy Groaned And Shook His Head.

"I Already Told You! Richie-Rich Is Meeting Us Here, We're Supposed To Help Him With His..." The Boy Mumbled, "Problem." He Had Blonde Hair, And His Eyes Shimmered In The Glint Of The Lights. He'd Come To Wayne At This Time Many Times Before, Knowing That Soon Two More Boys Would Come Up Through The Doorway On The Far Side Of The Roof And The 'Meeting' Will Have Begun.

"He Has A Name," The Ginger Said, "It's Dick."

"I Know That, But He Told Us To NOT Call Him By His Name..." The Blonde Declared, Pulling Out His Phone And Looking Up At The Sky, "It's About Twelve PM, They Should Be Here Soon..."

The Ginger Shrugged And Began To Text On His Phone, Talking To Blonde While Doing So. "Does It Hurt?" He Asked Suddenly, Without Anything Being Said Before.

The Blonde Looked At Him, "What? When Richie-Rich Bites...?" He Tilted His Head And Glanced At The Stairway Door For About The Fifth Time That Night. The Ginger Nodded And He Shrugged, "It's Not That Bad, I Mean It Twinges A Bit, But Not Too Bad..." He Shrugged, "I Think..."

The Ginger Nodded In Understanding And Glanced At The Sparkling, Snow-Covered Ground. "Hey, Is That A... Bat's Shadow?" He Looked Up To The Lights And Saw Nothing, When He Turned His Eyes To The Ground- The Shadow Of The 'Bat' Was Gone.

"Hmmm..." He Mumbled, Not Noticing When The Door Opened From The Stairway, Casting Two More Shadows On The Ground As Two Figures Stepped In. One Was A Black Haired Teen Wearing A Shirt And Shorts. He Had Blue Eyes And Freckles All Over His Tanned Face, He Was Escorting A Much Younger Boy, Who Was Three-Fourths His Size And Bundled In So Many Sweatshirts That He Looked Like It Was Almost Negative 500 Degrees, At Least Just For Him.

The Boy Was Shivering, His Silver Eyes And Nose The Only Thing Peeking Out Of The Bundles Of Clothing, Yet The Slight Movement Of His Shivers Could Be Seen. He Was Much Smaller Under The Blankets, Pants, And Jackets, But You Wouldn't Be Able To Tell On The Outside.

He Looked At The Other Boys Pleadingly, "I-I-It's S-S-So... C-C-Cold..." He Whimpered Softly, "A-A-Aren't Y-You F-Freezing...?"

The Boys Shook Their Heads, "Special Fabrics In The Clothes, Keep Us Warm- So You Can Have Our Jackets And Blankets," The Ginger Explained, "Since You'd Freeze Half To Death If We Didn't."

The Boy Looked At Him Thankfully, "...I-I-I C-Can't H-H-Help I-It If V-Vampires... A-A-Are Se-Sen-Sensitive To T-T-The C-Co-Cold..." He Stuttered, "...B-But I-I-I T-T-T-Think T-The C-C-Co-Cold Won't B-B-Be B-Bothering... M-Me S-S-Soon..."

The Boys All Shifted Nervously, Watching The Shivering, Weak Boy Quietly, He Looked Up At Them With Frightened Eyes, Paling Slightly More As He Whimpered.

"I... N-Need... Blood..."

He Dropped To His Knees, And Of The Other Boys Rushed To His Aid, Dropping Down On The Ground Beside Him. The Ginger Began Checking His Pulse And Tried To Keep Him Warm When He Felt The Surface Of His Ice Cold Skin. The Blonde Started To Pull Out Several Syringes- Taking His Time To Clean The Needles.

The Black Haired Boy Was Helping The Younger Boy Stay Calm, But Despite His Effort- Failing. The Boy Was Crying Softly, Pain In His Eyes, As He Shivered- The Others Unable To Tell If He Was Shivering From Fear Or Cold.

The Ginger Glanced At The Blonde- Who Was Stumbling With The Needles, Trying To Prevent Them From Freezing When He Cleansed Them. "Forget Them!" He Snapped, Pulling His Collar Down A Bit, The Cold Stinging On His Neck, "H-He Can Take The Blood D-Directly From My Jugular Vein..." He Mumbled Hesitantly.

The Black Haired Boy And The Blonde Moved Out Of The Way, Not Wanting To Get In The Way Of Their Friend.

The Ginger Kneeled Down And Pulled His Shirt Collar Down, "Alright Dickie..." He Said Softly, With A Caring Tone, "I'm Going To Let You Bite Me... But I Know You Won't Hurt Me... Right Dickie...? I'm Your Friend... I Can Give You A Little Blood..." He Gave A Reassuring Smile And Slowly Pulled The Boy's Many Blankets From His Head And Rested Them On The Boy's Shoulders.

The Boy's Forehead And Hair Was Covered By One Last Hoodie, But His Pale Face Was Now Visible, Along With Two Very Sharp Fangs That Were Digging Into His Lower Lip And Drawing Blood.

He Whimpered When He Saw The Black Haired Boy's Neck- Being Able To See The Veins And The Blood Pumping Through Them. Backing Away He Shook His Head, "C-C-Can't B-B-Bite... You... I'll Kill Y-You..."

The Older Boy Gave A Reassuring Smile, "Dick, You're Thirteen... You Have To Deal With Your Fears Of What You Are, You Won't Hurt Me... I Know You Won't... We're Friends Right?"'

'Dick' Nodded And Balanced Himself On The Older Boy, Eyes Wide And Fearful, "Ok..."

The Black Haired Boy Tilted His Head As Dick Rested A Hand On His Shoulder, And The Other On His Head Just Above The Ear. Dick Slowly Brought His Pointed Fangs To The Older Boy's Neck And Touched Their Pointed Ends Against His Neck.

He Could Feel The Boy's Pulse Through His Fangs As He Let Them Slowly Sink In And Break The Skin. When Blood Rushed In He Gave A Soft Suck, Feeling Like There Were Two Straws In His Mouth. The Metallic Taste Flooded His Mouth And He Felt Himself Become Able To Hold Himself Up, Strength Coming To Him. He Became Visibly Stronger, Slowly Lifting His Head From The Older Boy's Neck And Looking Down At The Snow Covered Ground; Shivering Every Few Seconds.

The Blond Handed The Black Haired Boy A Wad Of Gauze Pads, Which He Pressed To His Neck While They All Watched The Younger Boy. He Looked Better... Silver Eyes Brighter, Pale Skin Healthier... His Fangs Were No Longer Able To Pierce His Skin, But Just Rest On The Surface On His Bottom Lip.

He No Longer Looked In Pain, But There Was Still A Fearful Twinge In his Eyes, Glistening Behind Tears. "I-I'm A Monster..."

"No You're Not..." The Ginger Haired Boy Said Softly, "It's Not Your Fault..."

The Younger Boy Looked Up At Him, "But It Is... I-I S-Should've Fought Harder... I Should've S-Stopped H-Him From Exchanging Blood W-With Me..."

The Ginger Haired Boy Shook His Head, "You're Like A Brother To Me Dick," He Said So Only The Boy Could Hear, "I Just Can't See You Like This... You're Not A Monster... What Happened At The Juvenile Center Isn't Your Fault."

"But-..."

"Dick, No! Stop Blaming Yourself, It's Not Your Fault!" The Ginger Snapped, Making The Enhanced-Hearing Boy Jump.

"C'Mon, Let's Get You To Abandoned Community Center For The Night..." The Black Haired Boy Mumbled Quietly, Getting Up.

The Younger Boy Got Up As Well, Reburying Himself In The Many Hoodies And Blankets That He'd Come In. His Hearing Picked Up A Slight Ripple Of A Cape And He Whipped Around As A Dark Figure... Glided... Away.

"We Were Being Watched..." He Choked Out Fearfully, Looking Up Towards The Sky As The Bat Shaped Figure Glided Off, The Young Boys Eyes Widened And He Gasped, "Batman..." He Mumbled.

* * *

"So You want Us To Watch Out For... Vampires?" Wally Asked Confused, And Slightly Excited. "Like Blood-Sucking, Fantasy, Killer Vampires?!"

Batman Shook His Head, "I Cannot Call It Vampirism, The Boys That Gave The Other Child Blood Were Prepared To Use Silver Needles, And I Am Sure Vampires Would Be Immune To Cold-... If They Existed."

Wally Shrunk Back At The Bat-Glare, Zipping His Mouth And Setting A Imaginary Lock On It, Keeping Silent.

M'Gann, Aqualad, And Superboy Had Been Confused Ever Since The Conversation Began, Blood Sucking? Vampires? It Was Strange...

Robin Remained Silent, Swept Into The Corner, Biting At His Lip, Artemis And Wally Were The Only Parts Of The Conversation That Would Help.

Robin Was Sitting With His Head Resting On His Knees, Which Were Hugged To His Chest, As He Thought About Something Seemingly Important.

"Robin?"

His Head Jerked Up At The Sound Of His Mentor Calling Him, "Hmm?"

"Did You Hear Me?"

Robin Nodded, "Yes..." He Lied.

Batman Crossed His Arms, "What Are You Thinking About?"

Robin Gulped, Batman Was Pissed, His Apprentice Was Supposed To Have Fantastic Listening Skills And Not Let Himself Be Distracted During Their Briefings. Something Was Obviously Wrong.

"I Was Trying To Remember If I Saw Anyone Like You Described... The Black Haired Kid Seemed To Ring A Bell..." Robin Mumbled.

Artemis Nodded, And Unknowingly Saved Robin, "Um, Actually, He Does Seem Familiar- I Remember Him From School."

Batman Switched His Gaze, "What Is His Name?"

Artemis Thought For A Second, "Um... I Think It's Steven George Ritchie..."

Using His Glove, Robin Brought Up And Hacked Into Her School's Records- Bringing Open A File. "Him?" An Image Appeared On A Holographic Screen.

"That's Him," Batman Nodded, "I Want You To Keep An Eye Open For Him, Maybe You Can Find Out A Bit Of What's Going On."

Robin Tilted His Head "Why Are You Worrying So Much Batman? From What You Say, That Boy And His Friends Aren't Hurting Anyone..."

"There May Be More Like Him That AREN'T So Generous To The Human World," Batman Stated, "The Boy From Last Night Definitely Didn't Drink Blood For The Taste, He Was Weak, He Was Hungry, So What If Someone Like That Was Starving?"

The Room Went Quiet, "They'd Probably Go Crazy... They'd Probably Take ALL Of The Person's Blood..." Robin Said, Putting Together Everything Easily..

"Correct," Batman Nodded, "Now I Want Artemis To Keep An Eye Out For This Steven Kid, Wally, Superboy, And M'Gann You Will Return To Wayne Corp To See If They Return Tonight, Aqualad And Robin, You Will Go With These Orders Temporarily- Keep An Eye Out For Anything Strange And Put Together The Other's Information Together And See What You Can Discover."

They All Nodded, Understanding Everything- And Not Arguing Against Batman. They Stayed Where They Were For A Few Minutes Until Batman Scanned Them Over And Nodded, "Dismissed."

Batman Left, Leaving Robin, Kid Flash, Artemis, Aqualad, Superboy, And M'Gann. The Whole Team.

"Dude, What's Up With You?" Wally Instantly Turned The Conversation Onto Robin, Who Just Shook His Head And Left The Room.


End file.
